Nothing makes a landscape portrait quite as ominous and dramatic as dark clouds. Sometimes they make everything gloomy; other times they create this wonderful contrast between light and dark; or they simply represent the inevitability of an awesome thunderstorm.

i should remind myself to carry the tripod with me a bit more often by Ibrahim Iujaz

I woke up today to find it snowing hard outside and Mother Nature was slowly creating a heap of work on my driveway. Being that it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, I had no motivation to clear it off so instead I sat at my computer and found cool snow storm pictures for those to enjoy from the comfort of their chairs.

Life can be a lot simpler with nothing. Consider how much we worry about stuff around us. Take it all away and the stress tends to go away. It’s only boring to some because they are so used to being so geared up with the bustling of life all the time.
Here’s a neat story that illustrates our mindset sometimes.
A few years ago, a very rich businessman decides to take a vacation to a small tropical island in the South Pacific. He has worked hard all his life and has decided that now is the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He is excited about visiting the island because he’s heard that there is incredible fishing there. He loved fishing as a young boy, but hasn’t gone in years because he has been so busy working to save for his retirement.
So on the first day, he has his breakfast and heads to the beach. It’s around 9:30 am. There he spots a fisherman coming in with a large bucket full of fish!
“How long did you fish for?” he asks. The fisherman looks at the businessman with a wide grin across his face and explains that the fishes for about three hours every day. The businessman then asks him why he returned so quickly.
“Don’t worry”, says the fisherman, “There’s still plenty of fish out there.”
Dumbfounded, the businessman asks the fisherman why he didn’t continue catching more fish. The fisherman patiently explains that what he caught is all he needs. “I’ll spend the rest of the day playing with my family, talking with my friends and maybe drinking a little wine. After that I’ll relax on the beach.”
Now the rich businessman figures he needs to teach this peasant fisherman a thing or two. So he explains to him that he should stay out all day and catch more fish. Then he could save up the extra money he makes and buy and even bigger boats to catch even more fish. The he could keep reinvesting his profits in even more boats and hire many other fisherman to work for him. If he works really hard, in 20 or 30 years he’ll be a very rich man indeed.
The businessman feels pleased that he’s helped teach this simple fellow how to become rich. Then the fisherman looks at the businessman with a puzzled look on his face and asks what he’ll do after he becomes very rich.
The businessman responds quickly “You can spend time with your family, talk with your friends, and maybe drink a little wine. Or you could just relax on the beach.”
Sometimes having less is more. The same goes for good photography too. Here are good pictures of nothingness.

For those who are experiencing winter and can’t wait for summer or if you are just looking forward to relaxing on a beach somewhere, here are the great photos to give you hope for those warm days where all you do is take a nap in a hammock.

Winter weather brings moisture and cool temperatures which creates many changes around you. Icicles are one of those cold weather creations. They present an opportunity to take some beautiful pictures throughout the season. Whether the icicles are long and jagged or slowly melting at the end of the cold spells, they are another subject to add to your nature photography portfolio.

The profoundly talented Suzana Ristic is another one of my favorite photographers – her ability to transcend time with each image, and invoke such strong emotions with her creativity is a rare find. I find the tones that she uses to be soothing, and her eye for strong compositions always pull me into each photograph. They bring a sense of peace and mystery all at once, and I am thrilled to introduce the Photography Blogger community to her evocative work.
Suzana describes her work below:

4.24.2012

The holiday season brings lots of tidings, joy, and ornaments. With glass ones, it’s always tempting to take a picture of your distorted reflection in them. Here are self-portraits of those who couldn’t resist the temptation.

One of my favorite parts of traveling to big cities around the world is riding the metro. It’s convenient, fast, and the perfect reason to sell my car. Here are the fascinating metro station pictures that brings a good feel for the metro life.

One of the first signs of Spring are the flowers blooming. One of those flowers that many people love is the tulip. Whether you grow a few in your garden or visit places where you’ll find thousands of these gorgeous flowers, the tulip is a great subject for gorgeous pictures.

Sylvia Krivickova is a Slovakia born, self-taught photographer. She decided to leave home at the age of 17 and move to the states to live the American dream. Her version of that dream was to be independent and make a living with being creative. Sylvia has focused her creativity on fashion photography and over the past few years she has been shooting for various print and online magazines as well as developing modeling portfolios for agencies in Miami and NYC. Having moved 16 times in 3 countries, the trilingual artist now bounces between New York and Florida enjoying the best of both worlds.
Here are a few selections of her work.

One of the best things about a deserted road is the that nobody going 5 below the speed limit is in front of you. Open roads give you a feeling of freedom and adventure. Maybe it’s because the majority of people tend to enjoy living in the city and every once in a while just need a break from all the traffic. So until you get out on a wide open highway or a dirt road in the country someday, you can experience the adventurous open road pictures right here.

M&M’s are perfect little bites of chocolate that are guilt free because of their mini size. So go out and eat as many as you want, especially the peanut ones. After of course you look at these some yummy M&M pictures.

Niki has a way of redefining what we consider “portrait photography” – her ability to capture such a surreal environment allows her portraits to tell a story of their own. When I came across her work on Google+ several months ago, I knew I found someone special who is destined for very, very big things.
Niki’s work is described below:
“Niki Aguirre is a self taught photographer specializing in conceptual portraiture and fine art photography. She is currently based in Woodbridge, Virginia but travels frequently to her hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

There is something about a swing that makes you feel like a kid again. Whether it’s at an amusement park, school, or out in the middle of nowhere, swings are a blast for any age. Here are fun swing pictures.

Dogs are awesome. They bring a lot of joy into the lives of those who have them. Here are some great fetch pictures that will make you want to head outside with your dog and a tennis ball. Check out our puppy pictures post too.

Death isn’t something fun to think about or have to deal with. Unfortunately, it’s a sad part of our lives that we all experience at some point. But it’s also important to remember those we loved, those who served our country, others who may have made a historical impact on today’s society, and all the unknowns who are resting. Whoever it is that you are thinking about, you can experience a bit of beauty and remembrance with these 25 solemn graveyard pictures.

Martin Stavars is a master at capturing an incredible tonal range in his images. When combined with his ability to seek out powerful compositions in his cityscapes, the results are phenomenal. I’ve long been a fan of his use of long exposures to capture movement among his stationary subjects. Martin describes his work below:

The challenges of night photography are many. When overcome and mastered beautiful results can be achieved. Below are some amazing examples of this low light photography. Enjoy!
As always if you would like to share your nighttime photography with the rest of the TPA community please join our flickr group here.

Yes you read the title correctly, I said camera toss. There are people out there that create beautiful images by throwing their expensive cameras in the air with the shutter open. I for one don’t think I could just toss my dSLR up in the air and hope I catch it before it smashes into the ground. However I’m glad we have some thrill seekers that like doing this because I enjoy looking at the images they produce.
Here are some excellent examples to inspire you to go throw a camera too.

Smoke is such a mysterious subject to shoot. It’s really unknown as to what your going to get until you start shooting and later look at what you’ve captured. The smoke can create the most interesting shapes and take on familiar forms. Below are great examples of this process. What forms can you see the smoke assume?
CSD

Clouds can be one of the most important features when taking pictures. They add so much to a photograph, especially when they are formed just right. Take a wonderful cloud formation and add a beautiful sunset, expansive landscape, or a stunning cityscape, and you’ve turned a good photo into a great one. Granted, there are a lot of other factors that go into taking a great picture with clouds in it but next time you go outside and see some amazing clouds, grab your camera because you may miss out on a great photo.

White space is like poetry. There are fewer objects, but the potential for beauty is perhaps greater. For example, take these pictures from K. Clark Photography. Their simplicity highlights the whimsical and wondrous side of everyday objects and moments. Like poetry, it captures what the bigger pictures have missed.

Born and raised in the northern part of Norway, Bjørn Leirvik began his photography journey in 1978 with analogue photos and darkroom experiments. He picked up digital photography in 2006 and continues to discover new ways to create great photographs. He works out of his own studio for commercial shoots and enjoys collaborating with other artists on different projects. Visit his website, blog, and facebook page to view more of his creative photography and travels.

4.18.2012

The first few moments we find right as the sun breaks for a new day is a very special time. The quality of light is usually amazing and makes fantastic images. Below is a collection of beautiful photographs captured in the light of the breaking dawn.

Easter is a few days away and photo opportunities will be plentiful. As you take all the usual shots of the kids and family why not turn your camera on the precious treasures the little ones worked so hard to find. Here is a collection of photography to inspire your egg shots as well as inspire your egg painting. Enjoy!

A well photographed dish has the ability to assault the senses with an image so real you can almost smell the sweetness, feel the warmth, and sense the steam rising. Food brings people together. It is often a precursor to the most memorable days of our lives – in those moments we embrace togetherness, celebrate another year, or remember why we are really thankful. To photograph a meal is to photograph someone’s heritage, culture, and memories.
As you look through these 40 images, allow them to tempt your taste buds. Get caught up in the colors, textures, and artistry. Just beware though, you may find yourself running to the kitchen with a fresh new craving!

We have a beautiful selection of images from our latest showcase challenge, “Cars”. Enjoy and tell us your favorite!. There are the amazing pictures of car photography by a world class photographer, Bill Jones...!!

Whether a large, extravagant display of modern architecture or a small brick structure crossing a stream, bridges provide a great opportunity for a stellar photo. Here are some bridge pictures to inspire you to take a picture the next time you see a bridge.